


Paint What You Love

by PoppyCartinelli



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Painting, erotic painting, non-toy related sex, nude paintings and nude painting, sensual painting, supercat, woops update: toy-related sex, xmas in july
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-23 21:21:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20014984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoppyCartinelli/pseuds/PoppyCartinelli
Summary: Lies are never good, better get those off your brush.





	1. Fresh Paint

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fictorium](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictorium/gifts).



> This is for the Xmas in July SuperCat Fic Exchange for one of the most influential authors on my own style, and my favorite author, Fictorium. 
> 
> Lola, I hope you've been doing well and that you enjoy this. Merry Summer <3 
> 
> The prompt was:  
> In a live interview, Cat is put on the spot and lies about having a particular skill. She's challenged to come back on the show and display that skill sometime, and if she's telling the truth they'll give money to a charity of her choice. With limited time, Cat has to master a new skill and Kara is the only one who conveniently already has it. Cue some intensive teaching in close quarters, under a lot of pressure.

"Keira!" 

Kara put her cupcake down, wrapper still on, and sighed. It'd been a nice day, up until Cat had come back from her interview. Her interview had gone so well, too, her mood didn't make any sense. 

Winn sent her a sympathetic look, but no one in the bullpen dared look up. The fishbowl door creaked in her hand. She took a deep breath, heard Cat's heels clack from the balcony, and pushed.

"Finally, I thought you'd lost yourself in your cupcake day dreams." Cat's voice carried from the open door. 

The usual smell of Cat's perfume, ink, and the city odor of the day had an undercurrent of something heavy that she couldn't quite place. Cat's bare foot and lower leg stretched out from outside the balcony doorway, her toes curling, bunching the muscles in her calf. 

Kara swallowed and traced the curve of her foot, the swell of muscle in her leg, nearly to the knee before the doorway cut off her view. Cat's lower leg split almost perfectly in half by that line of muscle running its length. But it slowly relaxed before her as Cat arched her foot in another stretch, and then bunched again as Cat curled her toes. Human anatomy was always fascinating and seeing Cat in such a human way was especially… nice? Intriguing?

"Are you going to stand in there all day, or are you actually coming out?" 

Shoot. "Sorry, Ms. Grant." The wood flooring darkened as she stepped away from the fluorescent lights, the balcony a little dreary because the clouds still hadn't let up. 

Cat's black pencil skirt wrinkled ever so slightly against the white chair. Her right hand tapped at the armrest and Kara braced her own hand against the doorway as she came to a stop. Cat was leaned back-

Oh the heavier smell was scotch. The old scotch Cat kept for when things went really sour. She should really know what had happened at that interview, but there hadn't been anything odd…

"Are you going to take a seat sometime today?" Cat gestured to the couch in front of her and Kara scooted around Cat's extended leg. 

"Uhm, Ms. Grant, did som-"

"Cat"

"Sorry, right, Cat, did something happen at the interview?" She adjusted her glasses and watched Cat sigh.

The smell of scotch and perfume sat heavily around them. Or likely only to her. The last time she'd blown out her powers, she hadn't really noticed Cat's perfume. But today she was at full power and there wasn't even a breeze with the cloud cover.

"Kara, how good of a painter are you?" 

What? She looked up from where Cat was twirling her glass and Cat's eyes bored directly into her. How did Cat know? She'd asked Alex if humans could read minds and… well Cat seemed well beyond what most could do.

"W-what? What makes you think I can paint?" She waved her hand and pulled her glasses up a little further. But Cat just rolled her eyes and took another drink. "I-"

"Kara, stop." Cat flicked her wrist at Kara's face, "You come into the office with paint on your cheeks," and at her shirt, "and on your clothes. If you're not painting then you're sleeping with someone who paints."

"Wah!" She wasn't, how was that the next logical conclusion? "I am not! Sleeping with anyone, I just-"

"That's great confirmation, Kara, but I blatantly lied on national television and I will not have the world knowing that." Cat tossesd back the last of her glass and reached for the bottle.

What?

Oh. Oh, that's what this was about. Kara hadn't heard Cat talk about painting before but Cat could practically read minds, so who was Kara to question her extracurriculars? Although it had been nice to think that she and Cat both liked to paint landscapes.

Cat's fingers delicately closed around the neck of the glass bottle, already pouring a refill. "So I need to find a painter who can teach me landscaping in two weeks and will also not tell 'Nick at Nine' that I lied because Lucy Liu and I have history and I won't let her win at anything."

The bottle clanked back down and another puff of scotch hit the balcony as Cat sighed again. That didn't seem good, yeah. 

"Or… the charity you picked… won't be getting that donation?" Kara picked a fuzz from her pants and grimaced. Nick had promised a lot of money if Cat would paint in their studio for the whole world to see.

Cat bounced her leg and hummed. "So that's the predicament." She swallowed another drink before tipping her head back and sighing. Cat's sighing could make up for the lack of a breeze, if she kept up with it. "Do you paint landscapes, Kara?"

She sounded so tired and the Women's Shelter could really use the three figure check Nick had promised. Kara sighed too, mimicking Cat's movement and slouching back into the couch. She nodded up to the sky, "I almost exclusively paint landscapes. They're the best for a wide color pallet."

Cat's hum drifted across the balcony and they sat in silence for a moment. It was nice like this, the two of them, mentally preparing for yet another challenging week.

At least they'd certainly worked through worse than this before. If they could get through Myriad together, even if Kara was Supergirl at the time, then painting for a couple of weeks should be nothing.

"Have you ever taught someone to paint before?" 

"No." 

"Great."

* * *

"Don't these lessons generally start with still-life painting?" Cat turned the paint tubes Kara'd laid out, twisting them to see their colors. Her Burberry jacket stuck out against Kara's furniture. "Something with fruit?" 

Cat really needed something else to wear. 

"Uh? I don't know?" Shoot, she should have gotten a smock. "I didn't learn that way." 

"Oh? And how did you learn?" The brushes tinked in the cup Kara'd set out as Cat flicked through them. 

Maybe a t-shirt would work. "I just blended paints on the canvas until they looked right." Would Cat even wear one of her shirts? 

Cat huffed from behind her. "Something a little more directed would be better for our limited time frame wouldn't it?" 

Kara planted her hand on her bedroom door and frowned, "Well, you wouldn't be starting from scratch. I'll tell you what works for me and you can pick and choose from that." 

Cat just huffed again and well, Kara could only do so much. At least she'd bought plenty of snacks for their nightly lessons.

Cat couldn't really ship in a plethora of painting supplies the day after claiming on national television that she'd been painting for years. Kara got that, that was fine, but why did these lessons need to be at her apartment? 

She'd cleaned and cleared space for two easels and set up paints. She was looking forward to spending more non-work time with Cat but… Ah, here was the shirt she'd been looking for. It was a tad tight on her, so it shouldn't be too loose on Cat. At least it would keep her from getting paint on her jacket. 

Cat looked up from her seat in front of the easel. "So, Michelangelo, what's first?" 

She looked just as sharp as ever, but her heels were next to the door and her lips twitched with a suppressed smile. She brought the shirt up and smiled and Cat's lip stopped twitching.

"Kara Danvers, if you are holding that thread-bare rag out to me to put onto my body..."

It was going to be a nice evening.

* * *

"You said just envision what I want." Cat huffed and tossed her paintbrush into the water. 

"A stick figure drawing of that newscaster handing you bags of money isn't really what I had in mind." She tried to smother her laugh but Cat still glared at her. 

"Well we tried the blending colors and, while abstract works for Lucy Liu, that's not what I'm aiming for." Cat picked through the bowl of M&Ms until she found a blue one, daintily eating it before looking up.

Kara sighed and turned her own painting toward Cat. It was only half-started, with the outline of mountains and a forest, seen from the top of a tree. "I was hoping you would paint a mountain or valley or the ocean or something so I knew where to steer you." 

Cat blinked and nodded. "That's an impressive view." 

"Thanks." She still needed to add more depth but it was coming along nicely. "Do you want to try painting a tree?"

* * *

They got through correctly blending colors before Cat stretched and stood. Unsurprisingly, Cat was as quick to pick up painting as anything else Kara had seen from her. 

"Alright, if you ever tell me to paint another happy tree, I'm going to have to fire you." 

Kara just smiled, the threat was absolutely devoid of Cat's usual animosity. Cat was smiling too, so that certainly didn't add any weight. "If it was good enough for Bob Ross, it's good enough for us too." 

Cat hummed and nodded toward the white sheet in the corner. "I've always learned best through demonstration, I suppose. May I see some of your other paintings?" 

Well, that wasn't… "Uh-" Over half of those were covered in swaths of reds and rust-orange. The topography didn't exactly look Earth-like and Cat had already figured out where she was from once. 

Cat stiffened subtly and her heartbeat picked up slightly. Ugh, she really could always sniff out a story. Was she really going to do this agai-

"You aren't required to share, Kara. This isn't a part of your job. I was merely curious." She slouched back into her usual ease but that was what she did anytime she was bottling up her feelings. 

Ah geez. "No, no, that's not it Cat." She could find a few that weren't of Krypton… or of Cat. "Some of them are just... private."

Cat's eyebrow shot up and oh no

"Oho? Sweet Danvers has a spicy side?" Cat grinned and crossed her arms, "Figure painting at its best?" 

She never should have agreed to this. The heat in her cheeks tingled but she'd had worse than this. "You know that's not what I meant." She dug through the canvases behind the sheet and ah, yeah.

The canvas wasn't heavy, not much was of course, but it was slightly tacky, even now, years later. Oil never really dries, not this kind. 

Slight fingers slid over her forearm and Kara smiled even a bit more. She just… it was of Alex. She'd tried so hard, spent ages on the painting, but her eyes still hadn't come out just right. 

Superpowers weren't always good, but she could see the pores on someone's face from across a stadium. The tiny hairs, just fuzz really, just above a person's lip were like blades of grass. She really liked eyelashes and eyes… don't even mention eyes.

The detail of the iris was what got to her. It's tiny, colored muscles looped around pitch black and created the smallest galaxy she'd ever seen. Of all the things that would keep her from the rest of the world, the beauty of the microscopic was most likely to capture her attention.

"That's…" Cat's whisper died before it became anything at all. 

Alex's hair had taken a long time too. She'd painted each hair individually. Even this was pushing what Cat would believe a human painter could do, but, well, she'd painted it a long time ago so? 

It wasn't as good as she could do now.

"Paint what you love?" 

Cat whispered again and oh. Her eyes were the slightest bit wet. Her irises, a green galaxy that scared Kara, she'd never get that color just right. She'd tried.

"Paint what you love."

* * *

"Get home safe, Cat."

"Yeah. Goodnight, Kara."

* * *

Board meetings filled Cat's day so Kara had plenty of time to run to Noonan's for a mid-morning snack. The usual waitress already had two sticky buns waiting for her. Kara loved her specifically.

"How is my favorite alien?" She bustled over and set one sticky bun down on a plate, the other already bagged to go. 

"Just fine, thank you!" Kara beamed and the buns smelled so good. Sweet and cinnamon-y and rich, mhh. 

She laughed and shook her head, walking back toward the bar. "I'll never understand how you eat all of those, they go right to my hips." 

"Very nice hips though!" All she got back was a wave off and a huff. Kara just laughed.

Food was interesting. The flavors were so much more pronounced than when she was a child on Krypton. Like cinnamon, Krypton had nothing like cinnamon with it's almost spicy sweetness. And the depth of the flavor was remarkable, if she really concentrated. 

Even the baked flour had a flavor under the sugar and spices. 

She polished off the last bite and sighed, content for the moment… though the second one was tempting in its pretty packaging. But she should probably get back to the office. Cat would be needing a coffee soon and some kind of pep talk to keep her from committing homicide. 

Life would be so much easier if Brad could take a hint. Which were impressive to ignore since Cat's hints were generally just straight-up demands. 

A car honked and the woman walking down the sidewalk next to her chatted on the phone. Humanity buzzed along and Kara had coffee and a sticky bun. For now, all was right in the world.

"Keira!!" 

Woops

She ducked into the stairwell and was in the bullpen before Cat could even get to her office door. She skipped in behind Cat's wake and hopped through the door before it swung shut. 

"Good morning Ms. Gran-"

"Give me that coffee and split whatever terrible sugar concoction is in that bag with me." Cat pointed to the balcony and stopped by her desk to scoop up the latest cover spread. "And fire Brian while you're at it."

They had forks and small plates in Cat's side-cabinets, and napkins. She laid out the sticky bun and Cat's coffee just as Cat plopped down on the couch opposite her.

The guttural sigh Cat let out was one of the most satisfying things Kara had heard in a long time. All the irritation seemed to bleed off of her as she slouched into the cushions. 

“One day I’ll just fire them all, then all my problems will go away.” Her eyes were closed and head tilted back. Every deep breath she pulled in sounded like a mini-cyclone rushing through her lungs. The muscles of her neck shifted and a vein popped to the forefront, under her skin. It looked so taut. But Cat’s skin would have give to it, would dip under her fingers.

Her pulse would be thundering though. Warm and soft and

“Alright, what sugar monstrosity did you bring?” 

Her eyes opened and those green galaxies swirled and Kara ripped her eyes away to cut the bun in half. “It’s - uh, a sticky bun from Noonan’s.” 

Cat didn’t respond for a moment and Kara looked up, did she get the wrong confection? But Cat was just looking at her, a slight frown on her face. But she snapped her gaze away and swiped the coffee off the table, motioning for the half of the bun that Kara’d cut for her.

“I’ll give you three guesses as to what Brioche attempted to convince me of this time.” Cat kicked up her feet onto the end table, took a dainty bite of the sticky bun, and arched an eyebrow at Kara.

Another little zing ran up Kara’s veins and she looked away again, adjusting her glasses. She really needed to find the right green paint.

“Uhm, well, was it worse than the idea of turning CatCo into a fashion design company?” 

* * *

“Back up, back up, you’re at your apartment.”

“Yes”

“And your boss is going to be there soon.”

“Yes.”

“The boss who is a media mogul with a world-wide following?”

“Yes, Alex, come on-”

“And you thought it was such a good idea to take that media mogul to your apartment to teach her to paint landscapes?”

“Well it wasn’t really my idea to en-”

“This being the same boss who already figured out your identity once and who J’onn had to fool so she’d leave you alone?”

“Uh, well, I don’t really think she’s stayed fooled, she’s kinda-”

“Oh great, the boss who has likely already re-figured out your identity?”

“Uhm, look Alex, it’s fine, she’s-”

“Kara, I know you two have been getting along better and that you have a raging boss crush on her-”

“Alex! I do not-”

“But having her in your apartment every day for two weeks is a _terrible_ idea. You’re not exactly subtle and-”

“Hey!”

“And she’s really smart.”

“I know Alex, but I can’t just leave her!"

"Mhmm, and this isn't just an excuse to spend more time with her?"

"Alex! I didn't invite her, she just needs help, and so does that women's shelter that's going to get the check!"

"Alright, alright, but just… be careful okay? I know you like her but she doesn't have the best track record with you."

"Yeah, I know. I'll be careful."

"Okay, I love you."

"I love you too… even though you're mean."

"Oh wow, yeah I'm _so_ mean. You know what would be really mean?"

"What?"

"If I don't bring the pies you asked for at game night."

"Alex! You're the best sister ever, I love you, you're so nice and caring and cool and understanding and beautiful and-"

"Okay, okay, I know you could go on forever, but I do have other things to do today."

"Alright, thank you, have a good day, and tell Maggie I say hi."

"Yeah yeah, and be careful Kar. Love you."

"I will be, love you too."

She swiped her phone off and sighed. She was fine. She'd teach Cat to paint and then they'd go back to whatever those looks Cat had been sending her meant and the rare soft touches. 

The sound of her dishwasher rattled a little through the apartment and she sighed again and closed her eyes. The tiny tick-tick of the clock in the bathroom. Feet stomping up the carpeted hallway outside. A car pulling up and rolling to a stop.

Cat's heartbeat beating from the elevator. She was on the second floor and rising. Her clothes shifted around her and it felt like Kara was there, right next to her. 

She breathed in and Kara breathed in. Their breaths mingling until the elevator dinged. Cat stepped out and something smelled amazing with her.

Like barbecue, but not quite? Kara's mouth watered and if that was the perfume Cat had switched to, this next week and a half was going to be much worse than Kara'd expected. 

Cat paused outside her door, her clothes rustling some more, and Kara rose to unlock it. She paused, waiting for Cat to knock. Waiting as Cat rustled outside and cursed quietly under her breath.

She didn't say anything else though. Cat took a deep breath, sighed, took another deep breath, and finally knocked.

1

2

3

4

5

"Hello there, ready for mo- oh my gosh are those potstickers?" 

Alex was wrong. Cat had never done a wrong thing in her life.

* * *

"So, besides painting and consuming large quantities of fried foods, what do you like to do in your spare time?" Cat was attempting to paint a sea-side cliff. The colors were coming along fine, she really had a great eye for detail, but uh. The depth could use some work.

"Uhm, well." She smudged another green onto a canopy scene and hummed. "I've been trying to learn to cook more. Aaand, I-" chase after aliens and criminals helping a supposedly non-existent government agency that my sister works for. "Like to play board games."

Cat hummed and dabbed on a splash of blue. She was really good at sky color gradients. Maybe she was a colorist in another life. "Anything in particular that you're learning to cook?"

Kara laughed and it shook her brush enough some paint flecked onto her floor. "Shoot, but no, if I could cook anything that'd be a miracle." She swiped at the paint and ooph, that would probably take some super-scrubbing later. "What about you? What do you like to do?"

"I like to read." Cat leaned over and squinted at Kara's painting. "And spend time with Carter." She leaned back over and Kara leaned over with her. 

Her painting was coming along nicely. It still looked flat and not really much like a cliff at all, but the colors were nice. It was pleasing to look at, if nothing else. At least it was better than the stick figure drawing.

"When I've had too much wine, I play the violin poorly." 

Huh. "I find it hard to believe that you do anything poorly." The tunnel-vision aspect wasn't going great. She'd painted the sides very hazy and the exact middle of the tree scene in explicit detail, but it didn't really look like tunnel-vision.

It kinda just looked like a mess on the sides.

"Mhm, is my painting not enough to show you that I do things poorly?" 

Kara plunked her brush back into the water and rose. This just wouldn't do. "Cat, you're not bad at painting. Look-" 

She sidled over and bent so she could point from directly over Cat's shoulder. "Your color composition is flawless. Look at how you've gotten the greys to look exactly like the rocks in the photo.” She traced her finger down and placed her other hand on Cat’s other shoulder. 

“The trees are the exact same shade of green.” She spread her fingers out, covering half the painting and motioning toward the picture hanging in the corner. “It’s not that you’re bad at painting, you’re just focusing on what you like, colors.” 

Cat wasn’t the best at taking what she viewed as failure, so Kara kept her voice softer. She didn’t mean to be demeaning, just helpful. “Instead of trying to do what you obviously aren’t liking, depth and definition, just perfect the colors and how they flow together. Your audience will get the picture.” 

Cat stayed silent, but she didn't move away. Or yell, or anything else. She just looked at the painting. 

Her perfume smelled… well… like Cat. She'd never figured out the fragrance or asked Cat, it was just nice. 

"What about a dab of green here?" Cat pointed and Kara leaned closer. She was practically laid across Cat's shoulder, but at least she didn't need to put any weight on Cat for balance. 

"I think that would be good. Try a tighter line there, rather than the broader strokes you've been doing." 

Cat raised her brush but she was putting too much force into the stroke. There, that was the issue, too hard a stroke. 

"Here, hang on." She wrapped her fingers around Cat’s hand and the brush and brought it back up to the canvas. “Your strokes are a little too hard, it’s flattening the brush hairs and widening your stroke. Try it like this.” 

Cat’s hand went still in her own and she barely laid the brush against the canvas. The green was lighter than the ones Cat had used before. The canopy took a sharper focus as their hands moved. The leaves didn’t really distinguish themselves from any other, but the whole of the canopy took on a movement because of the color patterns. 

“That’s…” Cat breathed and tilted her head back until it laid against Kara’s shoulder. “Amazing.”

She’d look dumb if Cat looked back now, but she couldn’t help it. She knew Alex’s cheeks would hurt from smiling when they were kids. Kara figured this would do the job if she were human. 

Cat’s head against her shoulder, her hand warm in Kara’s, their quiet breathing as they just looked at the painting. “Yeah.”

* * *

Cat was in the bathroom when the call came. Alex sounded out of breath and Kara was already heading toward her closet. 

“Hey, there’s a royal pain in the ass headed toward downtown. Think you can get there first?” 

“Yeah, I’ll be right there.” She shoved her suit into a backpack and hung up. Cat would… Cat would be fine. She trusted Cat. Cat trusted her. It would be fine. “Hey, Cat, Alex called me and I have to run her a couple of things. I should be back soon, feel free to start another painting if you want!” 

Actually, it was pretty late. “Or head home, just lock the door handle. Sorry, see you soon!” 

She didn’t wait for Cat to respond, she was already out the door. She could change on the roof, no problem. 

The stairs whizzed by and the sink in her bathroom shut off. Footsteps and then silence for a moment.

"Ah damn, there goes a nice night." 

She didn't exactly go easy on the "pain in the ass" and Alex only gave her a cursory eyebrow raise before she was leaping into the sky. 

Cat thought their night was nice. She seemed to have been having a good time with Kara, but well, it was kind of hard to tell. 

The CatCo news van on the curb caught her eye though. Lisa was reporting this week, and her kid had been sick for a little while. She could probably use a pick-me-up. Yup, there was Lisa, directing the camera up at her. Well, a good act a day, right?

“Supergirl!” Lisa smiled, and snapped to the cameraman, Alem? Ali? He’d just started, but she was pretty sure it was Ali… or probably Ali. Most likely Ali. “How was the alien?”

She smiled and landed next to Lisa, swiping her hair back. “Oh they’ll be fine! Unfortunately, they got their hands on some steel-rebar that had rusted and it made them sick. Not a fun way to spend an evening.” 

Lisa gaped and Kara laughed. “It-They, eat… steel?” 

“Oh yeah, it’s a perfect combination of iron and carbon for them, but obviously the oxidation process can mess with that combination and I mean, they have a terrible sense of taste so they really just don’t notice until it’s way too late.” Maybe Alex could make a little detector for them. At least she’d get all the rust out of their stomach. Eww.

Lisa glanced over at the camera and Ali shrugged. “Uh, well, thank you, Supergirl.” 

“Absolutely! It’s good to see CatCo is concerned for the wellbeing of all of Earth’s citizens.” She beamed and Lisa nodded vigorously. 

“Yes, yes we definitely are, Supergirl.” She brought the microphone back toward Kara and seemed to flounder. Kara waited and then-

“Do you know that Cat Grant has a competition going on that could end up with Station 27 giving almost two million dollars to a women’s shelter here in National City?” Lisa grimaced and yeah that was kind of a uh, rough transition to highlight Cat’s generosity on air. 

Kara scratched her head and looked up. “I uh, I didn’t but I’m not surprised.” 

“Oh? Why?”

“Because I know what CatCo stands for and I know that Cat Grant stands for that too.” 

Lisa blinked and practically leapt at Kara with the microphone. “What do you think CatCo stands for?” 

So, Lisa needed a vacation. She’d mark that down later. 

“Truth and justice.” She scratched at her nose. Actually, that sounded kind of cheesy. “I guess, I mean that Ms. Grant likely thinks the women’s shelter needs the money more than whoever she’s in competition with.” Uhmmmmm, Alex was going to make fun of her. Oh! “Robin Hood!” 

Lisa blinked. “Robin Hood?” 

Oh geez, what if that one wasn’t a common reference? “Yeah, there’s this cartoon of what may have been an actual historical figure called Robin Hood. And Robin Hood stole from the rich to give to the poor. I’m not particularly fond of theft, but if ever there was a reason to steal, giving to those in need, and especially taking from corrupt people, seems like the best way to practice theft.”

Lisa didn’t say anything just squinted a bit. 

“And uh, Ms. Grant kind of seems like the type to do the same thing. Or more of with information rather than money though.” This silence was rough. “I just, she seems like the type to help others even through somewhat dubious means so her entering into a competition - not that Cat Grant is dubious, she’s just like, business savvy or something- and entering into a competition that will end up benefiting a women’s shelter seems like the type of thing she would definitely do."

Still, Lisa didn’t say anything, just blinked. 

“So, yeah, that’s why I’m not surprised.” Oh Rao, Alex was going to make so much fun of her. “Er, shoot, sorry, but uh, I hear another siren, so y’know, up up and away!”

Mark that down for most awkward interview ever. The camera wasn’t a live camera at least, but geez. Maybe she could get that footage deleted. Winn could probably do it. 

She walked into her apartment, civilian clothes back on, and she didn’t see Cat anywhere. She didn’t hear Cat either. Shoot. Oh well, the city comes first. 

She should probably shower and get a new canvas ready for tomorrow. The paints were all stacked in their usual place and that was nice of Cat. She really was kind of like Robin Hood, but just not in tights or with a bow and arrow. 

Cat’s flowing handwriting sat on a note next to the paint. 

_Glad you made it back safely. See you tomorrow._

She put the note on her nightstand and nearly skipped into the bathroom to brush her teeth. Tomorrow would be good too.

* * *

Tomorrow was decidedly NOT good. Lisa had betrayed all of her trust and aired nearly the entire interview. She didn't look like an absolute doofus, but she didn't look particularly good either! 

Alex had been intermittently texting her pictures of tights photoshopped onto Cat for three hours already. Three hours. Though the photoshopping was suspiciously good.

She was pretty sure Winn was helping.

By the time Cat called for her lunch, Kara had a permanent blush. So much for her alter-ego's reputation. The less reputable news outlets had already dressed Cat as Robin Hood and Supergirl as Maid Marian. It was really weird.

She'd gotten Cat's salad set out and the next cover sheet prepped and she was just about to step out of the fish bowl, heart still intact, when Cat came out of her ensuite. They locked eyes and every muscle in Cat's face twitched and no! 

Not Cat too!

"Kara," Cat's voice wavered and the floor in here looked so good. She could just go through that floor. "If you see Supergirl, will you please tell her that I am flattered but if she could tone it down just a little?"

She could probably hurl herself into the sun. A gravity assist from the moon would make her go faster. Although maybe it wouldn't matter. Maybe Kal could throw her into the sun instead.

"Tights just aren't my style." Cat bit her lower lip and Kara just retreated. 

Today was not her day. She nodded and nearly sprinted out of the office. She was past her desk before she heard Cat's peals of laughter from the ensuite.

Well, at least everyone else was having a good day.

* * *

_If Cat needs a pair of tights tonight, please don't lend her any of Supergirl's_

Alex wasn't getting a thing for her birthday this year.

Cat was already knocking on her door, much earlier than their last nights. Kara wasn't dreading the night, just the teasing. There was no way she'd get out of tonight unscathed.

"Hello, Kara." Cat stepped inside and toed off her heels, placing them in the same spot she had for the last few nights. 

"Hi." It was kind of odd to have a routine with Cat coming into her apartment. Or… really odd actually. "Water?"

She'd grab them water and the paints were already set up. Cat would pull off her ridiculously expensive jacket and pull on the old, super soft shirt Kara had been lending her for paint spills, or just pull it over the dress she'd worn the other day. 

Cat looked really soft in the shirt. It was nice. 

Today she had on a blue jacket so she removed that but didn't put on Kara's shirt immediately. She had great shoulder definition. The pilates really did their work. 

"Do you think I could pull off tights?" Cat turned and put her hands on her hips, her shoulders flexing back. 

Huh, she had a mole. 

"Uh, what?" She put the waters down and dragged her eyes from Cat's clavicle. "I mean, I think you could probably pull off anything, Cat."

Cat waved her hand and tilted her head. "Of course, but seriously. Supergirl thinks I'm some sort of Robin Hood, but I've only worn spandex a few times." She drummed her fingers against her chin and squinted.

Spandex. Huh. Interesting.

"But what about you?" Cat's eyes cut right to her soul. "Do you think I'm like Robin Hood?"

This whole not telling people that she was Supergirl thing was really getting to be a drag. 

"Uh?" Kara glanced down and dabbed her paintbrush in the water. "I mean, yeah? You do take information from the elite and distribute it to the masses, that seems like a Robin Hood sort of activity." 

Cat hummed and walked over to her canvas. She slid her arms into the shirt but didn't pull it over her head. "I should have taken up archery." 

Her arms would look fantastic pulling a bowstring back. 

"And, what about CatCo standing for truth and justice?" She popped open the green paints, twiddling with a fine-tipped brush. "Sounds a little cheesy doesn't it?"

Oof, the hard questions tonight. 

"Well. You uh, you kinda made it that way so I'd have to agree with Supergirl there." She pulled the blue paint over and squirted a little onto her pallet, she'd need to add some white to it. "I mean, I've been following your stories and CatCo news for almost a decade now and yeah, some of it is just the usual gossip, but most of it is the real deal."

Her clouds needed work too. For being so easy to fly through, they sure were hard to paint. "I mean, I remember reading about that one police scandal case that nearly got you killed. That was truth and justice. That information freed dozens of women from sex trafficking through the prison system."

Maybe they needed shadows. "And you've exposed corrupt elections, financial scandals, and the violence faced by the homeless just to name a few. I don't think I've met anyone else who so ardently and ferociously fights for what they believe in." 

Actually, what about lightning? That would be interesting to paint. "Not to mention how inspiring that is. I doubt anyone knows how many people you've propelled into being better just because they see you fighting so hard."

White-blue should work. Cat had the white though. Cat was staring at her. Great. She looked like she was about ready to cry or yell or- or something. 

Her eyes really were the most beautiful galaxy. How could so many shades of green even exist? 

"Thank you."

"Uh yeah." Oh geez, maybe that was too much. "Uhm, or uh, thank you actually." If she threw herself into the sun, would she even die? She took a sip of water and hoped her blush wasn't too bad.

At least she couldn't really feel any burning. She took another sip and tried not to glance over at Cat's shoulders.

"You probably shouldn't drink out of your paint-water cup, Kara. Even if it isn't toxic."

Rao, geez, heck. Double heck. 

* * *

"Oh, Kara, that's exquisite." Cat's voice broke their easy silence and Kara blinked. 

She'd been mimicking Cat's budding style, with emphasis on only the colors and not really the shapes. It was interesting and it did look pretty good. 

Cat was somewhat blocked by her canvas, so there was a lot of white in the painting and, well, Kara was still working on it, but she'd only really gotten around to painting the Cat-side of it. But the yellow-gold of her hair was as near to perfect as Kara could get with the colors she had. Her face was mainly obscured by her hair and the canvas, except one of her eyes, the bridge of her nose, and one side of her mouth. 

The focal point of the painting was her eye. She'd left the other colors correct, but mainly dull. The green of Cat's eye nearly leapt off the canvas. She was still working on the details and there, actually, needed a little speck of hazel but yeah, it was good. 

"Thanks." She looked over her shoulder, Cat had a glass of water and was staring at the painting. 

Maybe she'd put in too much detail. Maybe Cat could tell… well, everything. She certainly seemed capable of reading through the rest of Kara's closed-book life.

"Is that what I really look like to you?" Cat put her glass down and walked closer. She stepped close enough that she was leaning into Kara's back. "That's nearly ethereal." 

Well, she was ethereal so what was Kara supposed to do? 

She just nodded and leaned back a little. Cat was warm against her back and soft. Her hand rested on Kara's shoulder and yeah, this was nice. 

Kara could get used to this. 

"Can you show me how you did the color on the eye?" Cat pointed and Kara was already grabbing her sketchbook. 

It wasn't as nice as a canvas, but it was just fine for practicing. "We can sit at the table, grab the greens please." She flipped to a clean page, past one of Cat, geez, and sat it on the table. 

Her fine-tipped brushes needed a quick wash though. Cat brought over all of the greens and Kara swirled a brush through her water. Cat looked… excited. Like she was about to catch a great story. 

"Well, uh, I like to start with the focal point or middle and then edge outwards." She nabbed the black from their shared paint tray and slid into her chair. Cat wiggled and propped her elbows on the table. 

How many people had seen Cat Grant act adorably? Probably not many.

"Well? What first?" Cat picked up a brush and leaned back to grab a few blues. 

"Uh, the pupil." Cat's eyes were the slightest bit dilated so the pupil would be a tad larger than last time. "It's just a circle of black, as black as you can make it, except on the outermost parts where we'll leave it lighter so colors can blend over it."

She tore off a sheet for herself and passed the book to Cat. Her wider brush already had black on it. Circles never took that long, though maybe it shouldn't be too close to perfect. 

"Just, a circle?" Cat circled on her paper, then circled again. She'd need to fill that in more, but they could work on that.

Kara's own circle darkened until it would dry purely black. "And then, just, stare at an eye until you can transfer the color to paper. Yours has tons of different greens, so I start with one and then layer after that."

She'd seen Cat's eyes enough to know which color to start with. Slightly lighter than forest green. There were flecks and almost whole sections that color. Out away from the pupil, a little closer, around, under and on the other side. This green was as close to a base color as she'd ever been able to determine.

Right then Cat didn't have any lights shining above her, the only lights were over their makeshift studio. So everything would need to be a little darker. 

Then... the deep forest green. This was so much easier with Cat here and facing her. The deeper green overlaid in a few more places than she'd noticed before. Rao, she had so many flecks of gold too, she didn't even bring that color over, shoot. 

There, okay, Cat's eyes were wider but she had the gold and yes, she'd get it this time. She'd get it right.

Gold, grey, green, the bases were laid, all she needed was her finest point brush. The iris has coils of muscles, contracting and dilating to stop or allow light to flow through to the pupil. The configurations that created was one of the best evolutionary perks of not living in a cave. Her finest brush was extraordinary slim, but it was still quite thick for such small spindles of muscle. But oh well, she'd made do with worse. 

Then just, wrap the color over the edge of the pupil, like a galaxy careening into a black hole. She scraped her chair forward, this was easily the hardest part and what she hadn't yet been able to see in Cat's eyes. 

Cat's were beautiful, obviously, and so complex. The interweaving of the colors was truly outstanding. She could probably stare at Cat's eyes for a century and still not get the colors just right. 

The greens were practically perfect and she paused. She should be teaching not just doing. Cat was staring at her, flicking her eyes down to the painting and back up.

"Uhm," Cat's gaze steadied on her and oh, she was really close.

"Kara." Her fingers brushed over Kara's forearm and Kara got goosebumps. She didn't even know she could get goosebumps. 

"Yeah." Cat was so pretty. Here, in her old shirt and tossed up hair-do. She was so soft.

"Will you," She breathed in and Kara was pulled further forward. "Will you take off your glasses?" 

Oh

Her eyes were so green. Her eyelashes slipped shut and opened and... so beautiful.

"Yeah"

Cat picked up her brush and the world got a little louder. Now her eyes were crystal clear, down to the muscle filaments. The lead in her glasses weighed on her fingers.

"This may take me longer than it took you." Cat's finger twitched and

She wanted Cat's hand on her cheek, to pull her closer. She wanted to kiss Cat. 

Oh no.

"Okay." 

Oh no.

* * *

"You have beautiful eyes." 

"You do too."

Cat took both sketches home with her. She didn't leave until late, sketching until the paper eye was almost as familiar as the one Kara saw in the mirror. 

* * *

Cat was gone for the morning, an off-site meeting, but she would be there for lunch. And well, she just wanted Cat to have a good day and morning meetings with investors always put Cat in a bad mood and the little sandwich shop in Metropolis was where Cat always went when she was in Metropolis and it just-

It would be fine. She'd just say she had it delivered. 

"Kara? What brings you to my neck of the woods?" 

"Clark!" She turned and Kal already had his arms out. He had great hugs, especially since they could use their full strength with each other. "I'm getting lunch for Cat!"

Kal grinned, "Ah, Cat still running you around. Though, how are you going to spin getting her a sandwich from her old haunt?" 

"Delivery?"

He threw his head back with a laugh and shook his head. "Be careful Kara, she's not stupid." 

"I know." 

A siren sounded in the distance and Kal winked. "Get home safely!" He patted her shoulder and rounded the corner of the shop.

She'd have to bug him about coming to the next game night. Winn would probably lose his mind though.

"Order for Danvers!" 

She was in the air a few minutes later. It looked like the siren was for a small accident. Kal had already helped clear it so Kara just flew back to CatCo. Well, the roof of the building down the street, but close enough. 

Patty was at the security counter and waved. She was super nice. She'd once shared a donut with Kara when Kara'd had the worst day. 

She still had a couple of minutes before Cat would be back, plenty of time to set up her lunch on the balcony. She'd want some time to decompress. 

It was so nice out too. 

The sun was warm and felt so good on her face. She rested her hands on the railing and sighed. Cat had been so soft last night. Maybe that would continue.

Oh well, she'd take what she could get. For now, though, the sun felt wonderful, she had a sandwich here, if Cat would want company of course, and then three more in her desk drawer. She'd had one of the vegetarian ones before flying up, too, but that one probably didn't count.

"You look content." 

Cat's hand slipped through the crook of her arm and rested on her forearm. She looked down and Cat quirked a smile up at her. 

Oh, she loved Cat.

"Yeah, it's nice out." 

They stayed there, looking at the people below, until Kara's stomach rumbled and Cat laughed before ushering them to the couches. She didn't say anything about the sandwich, just raised a brow before tucking in. 

The sun felt better than usual while on that balcony.

* * *

They were both supposed to be at her apartment already. But Kara'd had to duck out of CatCo in the afternoon for a siren and was doing one last patrol before heading home and Cat was still in the office, ice rattling in a glass, and well…

How could she resist?

"Good evening, Ms. Grant."

Cat glanced up from her tumbler and smiled. "Good evening yourself, Supergirl."

She floated closer, until her elbows rested on the railing. "How are you this fine evening?" The phrase earned her a chuckle and Kara grinned.

"I'm doing quite well, Ms. Supergirl." She scootched a little closer and bumped their forearms together. "My assistant somehow got my favorite sandwich for lunch today, even though the shop is back in Metropolis."

"Mhhh," Kara nodded and tried to smother her smile. "Sounds like a good assistant." 

"Indeed." Cat slid her hand around Kara's elbow and pulled her a little further over the railing. "She does far more than an assistant is expected to. More than an assistant should, probably." 

Kara nodded and... "She probably does that because she wants to though."

"But why?" Cat pulled again and Kara nearly had to look directly up at her at this point. "Why would she do that?"

"Because she cares." Kara slid her own fingers around Cat's elbow, squeezing lightly. "Probably because you're inspiring and kind-"

"Psh," Cat waved her free hand and looked away. 

"So kind, Cat." Kara squeezed again and pulled a little. "She sees that Cat. You work so hard and do so much."

Cat just shook her head, "I'm hardly the saint you paint me as." 

"No, but that's the point." She showed such strength in public, but on this balcony, Cat had always been softer. "You have flaws, we all do, I think she's well aware of those and those are just a part of what makes you you."

She floated a little higher, Cat needed to understand this. "And it's you, all of you that I - she -" Rao bless his light, how was she supposed to tell Cat? 

Her eyes were wide and gorgeous in the late sun. Would it be so bad? Would Cat want her? 

Cat's fingers tangled in her hair and pulled. Her lips landed over Cat's upper lip and it was so awkward and then Cat shifted and oh-

She tasted like bourbon, lipstick-


	2. Fresh Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cat's been lying to herself since 1993, but leaves and canvases can always flip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cat curses in my head, a lot.

Frost, and sunshine. Something so, so different. Those crushing fingers slip over her cheeks and all the breath in her lungs rushes out. God, she's wanted this for ages.

It's so much better than she expected. It's fresh and she's already leaning over the railing, drinking in her hero. It's not like she'd ever hit the ground.

She'd been afraid then, and then again when she'd realized what her heart pounding in her chest every time those boots landed on her balcony had meant. And then, then Kara had walked through her door and her heart hadn't given her a break and that's, that's when she really knew.

Kara slips her fingers through her hair and it's like she's in a dream, willing herself not to wake. The softness of her lips is…

The noises around her die down till all she can hear is the thumping coming from both of them. Kara's tiny sigh as they pull apart. The scratch of Kara's palm against her cheek.

Another brush of lips, so soft, so soft, until they just breathe. Kara's thumb rubbing gentle circles against her temple. The suit is warm and soft and real against her own palm.

It's silent on her balcony above the world.

"See you soon, Ms. Grant."

* * *

Kara doesn't say anything that night. To be fair, she doesn't either. But Kara's so jumpy and quiet and her painting is absolutely atrocious. 

It's adorable. She's so strong and direct in that suit, but, well. Cat can draw her out of her civilian shell too. That kiss had been way too damn good to just let her walk away. 

She'd been so adamant on the balcony. Cat had nearly lept over the railing with poetry and flowers. Jesus, she never should have started any of this. She should have found another painter. There's no way this would end well for them. 

Nothing ever had for Cat.

But oh she wants it to anyway.

Cat slides her fingers into Kara's as they trade colors and Kara all but stops breathing. And that's all the confirmation she'd ever need.

She wants to kiss Kara Danvers as Kara Danvers. Or Kara Zor-El. Or both. She could still taste that frost. 

But first, she really did need to learn to paint. Kara's lax attention was a bit of a pain, but she kind of brought that upon herself. 

Oh well, she couldn't wait to see Nick's shocked face. Her paintings actually did look okay now. Not amazing, not yet, but seeing Kara paint was incredibly instructive.

She did love how the colors came together. Blues and golds, the perfect mixture. 

Her painting wasn't great that night, not with Kara sneaking glances at her every few minutes. She was very distracting. With her hair falling into her face and those blue eyes that had practically sucked in her soul. 

And her lips. And everything. She's a fucking goddess, what is Cat supposed to do? Not ogle her biceps? Geez.

At least when they'd finally bumbled through two paintings and started the awkward cleanup, Kara hadn't shied away from any of her touches. Nor had she shied away from the kiss Cat pressed to her cheek. 

Good signs. 

Now, all she has to do is paint something passingly good and snub both Nick and Lucy Liu. Then the Women's Shelter would get their money, she'd have one up on Lucy, and maybe she'd get the girl too.

* * *

"No, David, that's why I hired you. Fix the problem." She thumbs the end-call button as aggressively as she'd thumb Danny across the CatCo parking lot and tosses the phone down. 

It's always a bad day when she needs a bourbon so early in the morning. But no, she had done that in the past, she's fine, she'll be better than she used to be, yada yada. What she really needs is a useful therapist. 

"KA-" Fuck, shit, she slaps her head down into her hands. The book club is going to give her so much crap for falling for her assistant.

At least Miranda was already screwing a subordinate. She didn't have much leeway to poke at Cat. 

"KEIRA!" 

Ugh, even just saying Kara's name was already starting to make her feel better. How could she not though? Kara is just... amazing and so beautiful and good. 

And so good at kissing. 

Fuck, where'd she learn that anyway?

And where is her copy of the Tribune edits? She really needs to fire more people. She'd gotten so relaxed with Kara here. Had she even fired someone this month? 

Cat taps her desk and glances at the door. It's annoyingly shut. Kara isn't bumbling through with coffee and her stupidly good looking face. Which means Supergirl is probably out saving someone. 

Cat flicks her nearest TV on and, yup, there's the girl of steel. She's knees deep in some goop and fighting what looks like a seriously overgrown potato. A very angry potato at that. 

Not that an angry potato could really hurt Kara, but the sight of her in a fight always made Cat a little nervous. She'd seen Kara hurt, bleed, something could always happen. She flinches when the potato rolls over Kara, pushing her into the goop.

Which is fine, Kara constantly mitigates her strength to keep from hurting people, aliens, and now potatoes. She'd be fine.

Just fine.

Kara pops back up from the goop and the camera catches her spitting some of the goop out and making the least attractive expression Cat has ever seen on her ridiculously attractive face. A little stitch in her side relaxes and Cat sighs. Just another potato in the frier of life.

She turns back to her paperwork and pulls open her drawer. One negative of having a superhero as an assistant is that sometimes Cat just has to get her own Xanax. 

A pity, but the perks certainly outweigh the negatives. Unless Kara doesn't shower before coming back to work. Then she's going to have to have words with her resident superhero.

After this absolute trash heap of a draft-cover, of course. 

Cat sighs and rubs her neck, her bourbon stares back at her, forlornly, lonely, without a hand to hold.

_"Alcohol is not a problem solver."_

Not a problem solver her ass. Cat reaches for the M&Ms in her drawer and sighs, crunching into a blue one.

* * *

Kara doesn't come back to work and doesn't answer her door that night.

Cat spends hours analyzing the CatCo footage of the fight. But Kara leaves with her government goons and looks just fine, if not a little gooey.

She's probably just resting. Maybe the goo wouldn't come off with regular soap so she couldn't be seen without fear of her identity being discovered.

Yes, certainly, Cat would not leave her underground goon squad until all the goo was gone either. A text would have been nice though.

She showers and paints in her bedroom with the paints she'd had delivered very, very covertly. The only paints she's been using are gold and blue. 

* * *

Her elevator skims up her building and Cat stretches her neck. She has a long day and, hopefully, a long evening. They are going to talk about this kiss or kiss again. No distractions or excuses. She pats her sunglasses and struts to the sound of the door ding.

The bullpen erupts and Cat smirks. It's so good to own a place.

She turns and -

Kara isn't at her desk. She usually is. Unless she's getting coffee. Or picking up edits or any other number of things! She barely pauses her struts and just breezes up to her desk.

The small hobbit doesn't look sad or worried or put-out or anything at all so that's good. Or well, he looks a little constipated because she's standing in front of him, but that's an expected reaction.

"Wine, where is the blonde sunshine?" She raps on Winn's desk and Winn jumps. That's nice at least. 

He leaps from his chair and wipes his hands on the front of his pants. "Ms. Grant! Uh? Kara? Yeah she's uh, visiting her mom..." Shit. So she isn't in. "Who is sick... at the moment... nothing serious though!"

Jesus, she doesn't deserve to have to deal with this though. That's the worst cover story ever. "Tell her to contact me, sooner rather than later." Well he still isn't sobbing so Kara's probably fine.

She's through her door before he can even finish responding. What she would not give for a molten coffee right now. 

It's not like Kara owes her an explanation of where she is anyway. Nor does she have any right to Kara's whereabouts. But Kara had missed their painting night which was more than a little annoying. And rude without any explanation. 

And had just fallen into a pool of likely-alien goop. So, any contact at all would be stellar. 

She has plenty to do today though so there's no reason to lose time over this. Kara has access to the best medical care possible. Plus that sister who majored is bioengineering or something.

She'll be fine.

But Timothy in articles design wouldn't be. Who even is his direct supervisor?

She presses out the number on her phone and takes a deep breath. No need to get HR involved.

* * *

Timothy survives the day, for now, and Cat flicks her phone off with a huff. She walks into the dinky elevator in Kara's building and grimaces. At least she has a cloth between her hand and the floor button. Whatever may happen between them, Kara needs to move to a better building.

She could just move into Cat's city flat. It's close to CatCo and has roof access. Kara could even bring her hideous wardrobe. 

Not that moving in with Cat would mean anything. It's just for convenience. She could hang her paintings, even the secret ones that are very likely of Krypton. 

Krypton and maybe herself. Kara hadn't exactly been subtle about having painted her eyes before. God, she loved that idiot. It would be a nice night with her tonight.

Maybe Cat could even get a goodnight kiss back this time.

She knocks lightly, another perk of being… friends? A boss? Something with a superhero. Cat doesn't exactly like loud noises so being able to be soft is nice.

The door is smooth and utterly boring.

1

2

3

4

5

She knocks again, slightly louder this time. Kara could really zone out at work so…

1

2

3

4

5

6

She knocks again. "Kara?" 

* * *

Cat isn't one for overreacting or freaking out, but boy oh boy is she good at drinking her feelings. She doesn't paint. She does drain the bottle of scotch she'd gotten last year. She does fall asleep in all her clothes with her painting of Kara's eye on her table.

* * *

No one talks to her the following morning. Not even her driver.

In fact, no one talks to her at all. She simply barks orders and gets results. It's incredibly efficient.

She'd be pleased if her head would stop pounding. And if Kara Danvers actually shows up in the next ten hours. She's going to have many, many strong words for that woman. 

* * *

Supergirl's on her TV, locking up some thug or other and the reporter hasn't even finished the announcement before Cat storms toward her balcony. She tap-taps on her railing so she doesn't just leap off right now. It's a nice day and she could try slugging Kara on the way down.

"Supergirl, when you have a moment, I would _love_ to speak with you." She's biting back her tongue but she probably has time to grab a drin-

"Ms. Grant? You called?" 

Ah, there she is. "Where the fuck have you been?" She whirls around and Kara has her arms crossed and hadn't even landed on her balcony. "Two days without any text or communication of any kind? You didn't even have the courtesy to cancel our painting nights?" 

Kara just blinks. "Ms. Grant, I don't know what you're-"

"Oh don't start that shit with me, Kara. I am not in the mood!" She walks back over to the railing and stares this idio-

Her eyes aren't right. What? 

"Ms. Grant, we'-"

A cold, cold shiver runs down her back and no. No, this is not happening. "Shut the fuck up. Who the fuck are you?" She has a pistol in her desk drawer. She could just shoot whoever the fuck, wait- "Are you that shape-shifting asshole who came in with Kara last time? The one that made me second-guess my own judgment?"

The monstrosity in front of her shifts. 

Cat glares. "Look, you cross-dressing piece of alien trash, if Kara is not at her apartment tonight, I will have your secrets posted to every social media site on the planet. I have connections so deep you'll think you're getting fucked seven ways to Sunday."

She spins on her heel and yanks the balcony door open. She has a list to make.

"Ms. Gran-"

Fuck no. She slashes out with her hand and points at whatever the hell that thing is. "Don't you dare use her voice!" The cold shiver she'd had settles in her stomach and she should not have to deal with this. "You don't deserve it!"

There's a rage bubbling up from her veins and by-god, she will find this government black-site and burn it to the ground herself.

"Catherine Grant, Supergirl is fine. She was just encumbered." The thing shimmers and floats upward. 

Fuck this, she's having two bourbons.

* * *

She's tapping her finger against her phone when Kara eases the door open. She doesn't step forward though. She can glare all she wants. Kara has no visible wounds and she looks so worried and Cat just wants to kiss her.

"Uhm, hey, sorry I missed our last two nights... I was... not here." Even Kara grimaces at that.

"Clearly." She stomps past Kara.

She doesn't know where to begin. She's relieved and angry and wants to punch Kara and then kiss her and then probably scream for a good long while. Just because she can. 

"Where were you?" Facts are always a good start.

Kara nods and holds her hands to her chest. "Uhm, at… uh, Eliza's she was, uhm, sick."

Oh for fuck's sake. "Oh please, Keira, as if-"

"Don't call me that." Kara stands a little straighter and there sure doesn't seem to be anything physically wrong with her. "Not here." 

Cat narrows her eyes. "Then quit belittling my intelligence." 

She watches Kara clench her teeth and something flashes behind her stupidly beautiful eyes. "Fine." 

Cat waits but no other words follow and that will not do at all. "Where were you? What happened?"

"I was at a black-site under the effects of a sedative." 

And there it is. "And? Why didn't anyone contact me?" That's… not her right but shit, it would have been nice.

Kara huffs and toes at the floor. "Alex thought I was delirious from that goop stuff when I asked her to contact you. And then," She gestures at the window. "You'd already met J'onn."

"The creep on my balcony?" What a fucking normal name. 

"Yeah, he's kind of my adopted father." Kara sighs and that doesn't make any sense. Or it makes a lot of sense. Is she in some movie though? Where do all these people even come from?

"The sister is an alien too?" 

Kara frowns, "No, _Alex_ is not an alien. J'onn is her father's best friend. Her father died saving J'onn's life and J'onn has watched over us ever since." 

Cat rubs at her temple and sighs. "Uhuh, and Eliza? Is she an alien?" Who even is anyone anymore?

"No," Kara slouches against her counter, scratching lightly at her arm. "Eliza is Alex's biological mother."

"Right." Cat taps her arm and clenches her teeth. She won't yell. "Any other lies you'd like to sort out tonight?"

Kara doesn't say anything. She pushes off the counter though and parts of it crumble under her palm. She walks to the corner of her studio with all the white sheets. Her heels leave indents in the hardwood and maybe Cat shouldn't have phrased it that way but, fuck, her headache hadn't stopped and she's so fucking tired.

But then Kara's ripping the sheets off the canvases and there's swathes of red and orange and brown. And ornate silver. Ornate silvers with spiraling metallic, flowing up into buildings that have never existed on Earth.

"They are private paintings." Kara rifles through them pulling out red after beautiful red. "Eliza bought me paints so I could memorialize Krypton in landscapes. So I wouldn't forget." 

It's breathtaking. They're all breathtaking. Kara's angry and hurt and Cat reaches out. She can't not reach out.

God, she just loves this ridiculous woman, couldn't her heart have given her a break, just this once?

She threads their fingers together and steps into Kara's embrace. She's so warm and her heart's beating against Cat's cheek and she never wants to move. She doesn't cry at least, but they stay like that for a long time.

* * *

They don't paint a whole lot, but Kara moves their seats closer together. Her hair's lit up by the light behind her and her hand is warm in Cat's. 

Her painting is all golden waves on a tan-shirt shore. 

* * *

Kara has a coffee in her hand in the morning and a very soft smile. Cat has to stop and berate an editor on the trash he'd submitted to her at midnight last night to keep her heart in check. They're going to need to chat about work-appropriate smiles. 

For now though, the butterflies in her stomach are a welcome distraction from the papers in her hand. She steps by Kara and she's so warm her head spins a little. 

"Good morning, Cat." Her door's shut, the sounds of the bullpen muted, and oh god, she's going to kiss Kara at work. 

Again. 

Although does over a balcony railing really count? 

She swallows down the spout of poetry at Kara's soft eyes and soft face and soft hands and soft heart and just says, "Good morning, Kara." 

Kara smiles though and that's so much worse. Cat nearly chucks a stapler in distress. She wants so badly, but what's going to happen in a year? Two years? Five? A decade? 

Kara's adamant now, looking at her like she's some goddess as if Kara isn't the actual goddess, but what happens when Cat's humor dries up on bad days? When her anger gets the best of her?

She drops the papers in her hands and huffs. She was so done with romance before Kara showed up. How has it all gone so wrong? 

Kara's right across from her then with her big eyes and quirked head and that stupid intelligence that keeps rearing its head. She's got this almost wisdom to her that keeps knocking Cat off balance.

A hot woman? No problem. A hot woman with humor and smarts? Some problems. A hot woman with humor and smarts and a wisdom that comes from the death of her home planet that gives her the softest of eyes and knowing looks before she wraps Cat up in some safe-space bullshit that has every creak and crack in Cat's heart singing? 

Multiple, multiple problems.

"Cat?"

Her eyes really are the most beautiful thing Cat had ever seen. 

"Do you think the board will mind if I fire them all?" 

Oh no, no her eyes scrunched up in a laugh, with her head tossed back, that's the most beautiful thing Cat's ever seen.

* * *

Tonight, Cat has a plan. She's going to get that second kiss because Kara keeps looping their fingers together and, while slow and exploratory is nice, Cat's fully ready to leap off a building at this point. 

She's thought and craved and hoped and dreamed and drank a lot and even had a couple of daydreams over the past year of falling in love-

Yes, yes, in love, the universe could just fight her, thank you very much-

With her dang assistant who happened to daylight as a superhero. That's been a weird awakening too.

One minute you're lusting after a woman in fucking cardigans who won't stop back-talking about justice and truth and the next moment she shows up in a cape and biceps and more biceps and carries your car to a god-awful cliff above the city. Talk about a wet daydream. 

The book club had laughed and laughed but tonight, tonight Cat is going to get more than a daydream.

Kara's got music playing and she looks so happy and there's a little balloon inflating in Cat's deflated heart. She doesn't even begin her plan. She's too caught up in the laughter and, and sweet jesus above, finger painting, to try to get anything from Kara.

She'd sworn off getting this derailed by anyone. But Kara smiles and Cat just tosses her notes out the window. 

Fuck. She's going to need to talk to her therapist about this.

Kara, her fingers still wet with paint, pulls her from her seat to dance. Their fingers tangle together and Cat can't stop laughing. She's warm and light and Kara twirls her around.

It knocks the breath right from her lungs. 

Their paintings aren't really paintings and by eleven Cat's got paint on her face and arms and on Kara's stupidly soft shirt.

Fuck, love is such an addicting drug. How could she have forgotten? 

Kara wipes at a paint smear on her cheek, a little warm water goes a long way. She's puffing out breaths and grinning like an idiot. 

"Get home safe, Cat." She pulls their hands up and presses a kiss to the back of Cat's hand. 

Good lord. "Yeah." 

She doesn't get the kiss she's hoping for, but… 

But the night feels like a win anyway.

* * *

The next day is _not_ a win. Her mother pops by for a chat that lasts three hours.

Three hours.

Three.

By the end of the conversation, business-like with all the hidden barbs, as usual, even Kara's face doesn't make her feel a whole lot better. 

She's in the perfect mood to destroy some editing. So she waves off Kara's hands, because Kara doesn't deserve this, and grabs a red pen. 

_The zoo's newest penguin extravaganza-_

The death of journalism stares her in the face and Cat heaves a sigh. Comma splices abound and whoever this idiot is put an "I" into a reporting piece. 

This is her favorite red pen and she's going to need more ink. An apostrophe there, just delete that line entirely. This article should be on the right side. Was she even paying anyone to edit these?

A deep, roasted scent hits her nose and thank goodness. She gulps down a mouthful of the scalding coffee and yes, she is the Queen of all Media and she can make this trash heap an actual newspaper. 

Say no to the dress, actually, and yes to the new museum on… oh, she's going to need a more detailed article on this. Carter will love it. Space and rocks, what more could a growing boy ask for? 

Mhh, this ad is too far up. The printer needs new ink too, this whole page should be glossy enough that Cat could do her make-up in its sheen. 

She finds a bowl of blue M&Ms on her right and that's just like Kara to do. Notice all the small things. 

Like this missing 'n' from 'and.' Who wrote this? Why did she even hire them in the first place? 

A sandwich appears at noon after she's talked herself down in front of her ensuite's mirror. There's no benefit to mass murder. 

It's from that shop in Metropolis again. It tastes just like success.

* * *

There's a key on her desk at the end of the day. 

_Sorry, please let yourself in, there's a fire over on the coast._

Oh, this is a terrible idea. It's worse than Cat waiting out in that hallway. Keys and open invitations lead to expressing feelings. 

Cat hated expressing feelings.

She's got dinner ingredients in three bags and Kara's key in the other. She said she wanted to learn to cook, right? And what better way to start than with pasta. 

It's really just boiling water and making a sauce. Even Kara should be able to do that. 

Kara's apartment is quiet when she steps through the door. Their paints are all neatly organized and a fresh canvas is in her place. Kara had even cleared off her drawing table in the corner. They'd only bumped into it once while dancing the night before, but still, precarious positions and such. 

Kara had been so pretty with her smiles and her hair down. She could probably talk Kara into keeping her hair down again. Well, not while cooking. 

She kicks off her heels and thumps the bags onto the counter. Now, how much pasta could an alien eat after fighting a fire all afternoon?

She takes out a box of rotini. Hmm. It's light in her hands and would last Cat and Carter at least a meal and a half. Carter eats like… well, a growing boy. It's a tad startling really.

Kara, on the other hand, eats like a person lost at sea for a month. It's almost… well, attractive honestly. A little frightening, but she's got such gusto and enthusiasm and makes all these noises.

A lot of noises. 

Cat stares at the middle distance. 

She picks up the second box. 

She stares some more. She'd had a rather uncouth daydream after Kara'd eaten a particularly good lunch with her a month and a half ago.

She picks up the third and plunks them all down next to the stove. Now or never, Cat, now or never.

She rattles around the kitchen but there seems to be no organizational scheme in this place. Which makes sense if Kara can just see through cupboards, but it's a right pain in the ass right now.

Ah, her hand skims over cool metal and that looks like a large enough pot, finally. There are tiny indents all over Kara's counter. They're smooth and shaped like fingerprints. 

How many times has she done this? Was it excitement? Or anger? Or something else? 

The counter is smooth under her fingers, just divited. She clicks the stove on and turns around. 

The whole place smells like Kara. It's a little disorienting. The place is less colorful than Cat had first expected. The shirt laying over the couch, though, is something she'd expected.

The soft sound of the gas burning fills the room. Her eyes keep getting dragged back to the canvases in the corner. She should just have a glass of wine.

At least those are in a clear cabinet, so they aren't hard to find. She can't find a glass though. Well, a mug does just fine too. 

The water roils in the pan and Cat pours in the ridiculous quantity of pasta. It tumbles down the cardboard box's sides with almost the same noise as the gas burning. Weird.

She crushes up some garlic, the spicy smell mixing with the bouquet of her wine. It's not unpleasant at all. She's got cream and butter and black pepper in the only large frying pan she'd found. 

Kara's going to have to organize better. 

She doesn't realize she's humming until she nearly chokes on her wine. And that's a bit much. A little over the top, hmm, Grant?

Maybe don't spill your hand so early to the woman who isn't even here yet? 

Not that she probably couldn't already tell. It's not like Cat ran off to anyone else's apartment to cook dinner and paint. Geez, Miranda would give her no end of grief for this.

She pulls out the chicken breasts and broccoli. Kara seems to eat everything except salads, so, well, they could work on that. She'd normally add spinach to this, but oh well. 

The onion powder isn't ideal, but Cat certainly isn't going to risk weeping all over Kara's kitchen because of some onion. She's wept enough over this woman already.

Which was like, twice, but far too many times regardless.

The noodles steam up the kitchen as she pours them into a colander. A tiny face sauna. Mhh, she should schedule another sauna. That last one was nice, especially with the attendants in their tiny shirts and shorts. 

The window clatters open and Cat nearly launches the empty pan across the room. She drops her spatula but Kara's there, all cape fluttering and grinning. 

"Sorry 'bout that." She smells like wood smoke but there's not a hint of ash on her face. "Oh Rao, it smells amazing in here." 

Cat's got both hands pressed to the counter behind her and jesus. Kara looks radiant. She's got success rolling off her shoulders and her bicep flexes as she places the spatula down. 

She swallows and maybe she's the one who's been lost at sea for a month.

"I'll be right over, but I need to paint this real quick, sorry." Kara leans in, heat just rolling off of her, and presses a kiss the corner of Cat's mouth.

Shit, she might pass out. 

Then Kara winks and is just gone, and the vacuum of the empty space filling pulls Cat forward just a touch. 

Oh no, she's not going to pass out. She has better things to do tonight. 

A cap popping pulls Cat's gaze over to the canvases. Kara's just… head back, draining a water bottle with all the muscles in her neck straining. Casual. Cat's fine.

The sauce behind her is probably done. Kara winks again and Cat rips her eyes away. 

Fuck.

She flips the chicken breasts and, yes, they're done. They'd just need a bit to cool before they could be served.

She presses her lips together and glances over her shoulder. 

Oh.

Kara's got half the painting filled with greens and oranges and reds. It's like the Krypton paintings but a forest. The whole of the trees was bathed in the orange light. It's beautiful.

_Paint what you love._

There's something gnawing in her chest. It's nearly painful. A heat starts under her skin and she wants. She wants something. Kara pulls the brush against the canvas and she wants that. She wants Kara's eyes on her, that brush on her.

Kara turns, a slight frown on her face, and she raises an eyebrow. This is going to go terribly.

She's next to Cat in the next instant. A spoon dipping into the sauce until Kara's got her lips around it. She's moaning before Cat can prepare herself. 

It goes right to her core.

She huffs out the breath caught in her lungs and Kara does it again. She licks the spoon and Cat is in so much shit. 

She's got paint on her cheek. Her suit's peaking through the stupid button-up she'd thrown on. Her hair's down and wavy and her god damn eyes are swimming with emotion. Cat knows that one all too damn well. 

She never should have started this. She should have hired a fucking painter. She shouldn't have lied. She should have learned from someone else. Who else would she have trusted though? Who else _could_ she have trusted?

"What do you want Cat?" 

There's only one thing that's screaming in her mind, over and over again. It's got her knees weak and Kara dips that spoon again, her eyes never leaving Cat's.

"Paint me."

Kara's eyes widen for just a moment, the spoon perched between her teeth, but that steel slips into her gaze. The steel right before she lands the last blow, sends her opponent to their knees.

It nearly sends Cat down to her own.

She never should have started this, but god, she'd start it again just for this.

Kara nearly drags her to the drawing desk, across from the canvases. She sits in Cat's spot and pulls a brush from the water cup. She downs the rest of Cat's wine in one go. "Take off your shirt." 

It's Kara's shirt, actually, but Cat's not going to belabor the point, not right now. She slips it over her head, the soft material scrunching in her arms. 

She's still in her black top but her arms are bare. Kara looks up from her paints and licks her lips. She's completely bare to those eyes.

Kara doesn't paint slowly. She rushes, her speed drawing up all the oxygen in the room. Each time her eyes rove over Cat, it's like they're leaving tiny burns in their wake. 

It doesn't take Kara more than two minutes, but Cat's a mess by the end of it. She's leaning heavily against the desk behind her and Kara brings over the canvas and the paints and shoves herself right into Cat's space. 

So, she can definitely see under people's clothes. 

It's hyper-realistic, down to the tiny scar on her hip. It's nearly a photograph. What the fuck. 

"Like this?" Kara leans closer and Cat nearly vaults onto her desk. But that's, that's not what she wants.

"No." Kara frowns and pulls away just a tad, Cat's already shucking her top though. "Like _this_." She dips her finger into the red and drags it down Kara's throat.

Kara blinks once and drops the canvas. She places one hand on Cat's chest and pushes her up onto the desk. It drives every ounce of air Cat has ever breathed from her lungs.

This kiss isn't anything like the one on her balcony. It's hungry and Kara's already tugging at her bottom lip and oh Cat is weak. A wet finger drags over her ribs and whatever color it might be, she can't even care. 

She buries her hands in Kara's hair and pulls. Kara growls and she never should have started this but she can't even begin to regret it because Kara slides her hand up her leg to cup her ass. The edge of the desk presses into the bottom of her thighs and Cat spreads her legs as Kara steps between them.

She still tastes like sunshine and frost but now there's wine on her breath and the combo has Cat's head spinning. She bites on Kara's lip and sucks. There's a fire in her stomach.

Kara's already put one fire out tonight. She's damn well situated to put this one out too.

Kara bunches her skirt up, and there's going to be paint on that in the morning. She isn't wearing underwear and Kara gasps into their kiss. Cat would normally congratulate herself but right now she just wants to drink Kara in.

She's past wet already and Kara's fingers slip through her heat without any resistance. She yanks her head back and smashes her shoulders into the wall behind her. "Fuck, fuck me, Kara!"

She doesn't have to wait. Kara presses forward and the desk tilts down, sliding Cat into Kara's hand just cupping her cunt and Cat shouts. She wants and wants and wants

Kara presses two fingers into her and bites down on her shoulder. Cat's already bucking her hips forward and it feels so _good_. It's hot and rough and Kara isn't messing around. 

She thrusts in and follows through by crushing her hips forward, grinding her hand into Cat and against her clit. The sensation is fucking incredible and then Kara slaps a wet hand over her ass and Cat comes right there. 

Her legs wrap around Kara's waist and she thrusts down on her fingers. There's just the press of heat in her stomach, the pull of Kara's fingers fucking into her. She nearly sees white. 

Kara doesn't slow down, she just scissors Cat and adds another finger and speeds up and speeds up, until her fingers are vibrating and Cat is dying. Kara bites at her lips and thrusts her hips forward in circles like she's

Oh god

Like she's grinding against her own hand. Rubbing herself off through her shorts and suit and probably ruining her suit as Cat comes even harder around those fingers. 

Kara groans against her mouth, shuddering with her hips jerking forward. Fuck. Fucking fuck, she's so fucking hot. Cat's so far over the edge she's falling.

Then Kara pulls her body back, but not her fingers and shoves her down, flat onto the desk. Her eyes are practically pitch black. She curls her fingers and Cat tosses her head back with a curse.

She's so wet and Kara's fingers keep scissoring and pressing and curling and she's going to come again, holy fuck. She forces her eyes open and Kara places her whole left hand into the paint before placing it on Cat's thigh. 

She pulls her fingers out and Cat nearly cries. She's so close again and now she's clenching around nothing and she _wants_. She thrusts her hips up, against Kara's, and Kara grunts.

Kara pops her fingers into her mouth and sucks. Her eyes flutter and Cat shoves her own hand between her legs, where she's still pressed against Kara.

"Fuck, Kara." She presses circles against her clit and she's jerking forward. 

Kara licks Cat's arousal from where it's dripping down her arm. She trails her tongue up her arm, eyes locked with Cat's and Cat can't breathe. She's so fucking close and Kara sucks each finger clean individually. Kara's shirt is barely clinging together by the threads of a few buttons and her suit is visible beneath that and her glasses are god knows where and Cat dips her fingers into herself.

Kara thrusts her hips forward and Cat really does see white this time. Her legs tighten and her head thunks against the desk. The pleasure zipping up her body is so much. So good. Oh god-

She heaves in a breath and Kara pulls at her wrist, leaving another colorful handprint behind. Her ceiling has a spiderweb on it. Her lungs even hurt. Holy fuck. 

Kara flicks, just tosses really, one of her legs over Kara's shoulder and fucking fuck. She's barely even done coming and Kara bends to lave her tongue through Cat. She sucks and Cat heaves herself up onto her elbows. She so sensitive and Kara's puffing breaths onto her and sliding her tongue from the opening of her cunt right to her clit. 

She glances up at Cat and sucks until her cheeks hollow out. Her vision tunnels and Cat falls back down, grasping at Kara's hair, the wall, anything. 

It's so good. It's so good. She hooks her heels against Kara's back and the desk and presses up. Kara just opens her mouth wider, leaving hot kisses against her before dipping down to her core. She grinds up as Kara licks into her. Kara curls her tongue and it presses into the front of her walls and Cat crashes into another orgasm. 

It almost hurts, but she's still grinding up. She's practically bouncing against Kara's face and Kara doesn't even attempt to stop her, she's just digging in and sucking until Cat shoves at her to get her off.

She rolls onto her side and heaves in breaths. Kara slides her hand between her legs, wet from paint or arousal or something, she doesn't know she doesn't care. The grip at her thigh is killing her.

She wants Kara _again_. Everything is a little blurry and she can barely breathe. That hand drifts back up to cup her and her throat feels like sandpaper but she groans and nods and thrusts down. 

Two fingers enter her, then a third. It's so fucking hot. She's coated in sweat and a hand trails up her side to press her back down onto the table. It's dark because she can't open her eyes and that hand feels wet with paint.

The fingers curling into her start to vibrate and every muscle in her legs screams. She jerks and the hand on her shoulder moves to her throat, pressing softly, and she can't move.

She doesn't want to. She just wants the heat pouring from her legs to keep going. The hand on her shifts and a cold, cold breath washes down her body, centering on the fingers pounding into her. It's cold and hot and every press of Kara's fingers drives into the muscles inside her and-

She screams, or she thinks she does. She can't hear anything because her ears are ringing but she arches into the hand around her throat as Kara's icy lips wrap around her clit and _suck._

She shudders and everything goes black.

* * *

Kara's gone in the morning, there's no note anywhere. So Cat climbs out of the horribly uncomfortable bed she was put in and shrugs out of the pajamas Kara must have dressed her in. She's done this before, though not on legs quite this shaky. 

She's got faded handprints all over her. The paint probably doesn't wipe off well. The apartment is clean, nothing amiss. If it wasn't for the bruises on her hips and throat, and the handprints, and the ache in her whole body, she wouldn't guess that anything had happened here at all.

The image of Kara licking Cat's arousal from her forearm is going to stay with her for a long time though. 

By the time she gets back into her own skirt and the new pair of underwear she finds with her clothes, all hung and wrinkle-free like nothing happened, she's already wet again. She's got work to do but Kara's fingers were vibrating inside of her less than… six hours ago. 

She walks out of the apartment, locks it with the key still in her purse.

There's a heaviness in her chest, but she's fine. She shouldn't have started this. That's what she'd said and now… 

Kara's not at the office the next three days.

She paints in her top floor suite because she's going to win something this week. But all she can paint is rivers of golden hair and mountains of tanned shoulders and valleys of stomachs and hips. So that's what she paints. Again and again and again.

* * *

The cameras swivel in their mounts. Lights beam from above. The canvas stretches, blank before her. She's up on a pedestal with all the eyes of the world on her, with a paintbrush in her hand.

She couldn't be more relaxed if she tried. Nothing else can hurt her this week.

The colors link up in her mind. 

_"If it worked for Bob Ross, it's good enough for us."_

The brush is light in her hands. She draws a small circle, pitch black, and paints outward. 

_Her eyes were so beautiful._

The blues pour off her fine-tipped brush. Then white, then tan, then dusty gold cascading off the side of the canvas. A daydream she's had too many times to forget.

_Frost and sunshine and wine_

She doesn't cry on that pedestal. The colors are exquisite and certainly etch out a woman lying with her head hung back, but it's abstract to the point of blurred.

Except for the eye.

* * *

The women's shelter sends her a very nice card. Nick and the rest of the world loses their minds.

She laughs in her own studio and cries in her office. 

* * *

She doesn't expect to see Kara again. The sketches of their eyes hang on her wall but she doesn't look at that wall anymore.

All that bluster on her balcony just for a fine fuck. She's out there now, on her balcony, rattling ice in a glass because her life sucks.

A swish of a cape sounds on her left and Cat nearly turns away to go inside. But damn it, this is her balcony.

Kara doesn't move closer, just scuffs her toe against the cement. "I… I saw your painting."

Cat just hums. She'd probably get halfway down the building before Kara would catch her. Another negative of fucking a superhero, can't even jump off of buildings in peace.

"It was… really good." 

"Mhh."

She's not the one who left, so she's got no reason to baby Kara through whatever the hell Kara's come here to say. This is her balcony. 

Another scuff and Kara sighs. "I didn't expect you to paint that. To paint…"

Oh wow, what the fuck. 

Cat spins around and her eyebrows pinch together. That's going to be another headache. "What? You think you can be kind and generous and all things your spandex-ed alter-ego stands for and then fuck the living daylights out of me without leaving an impression?" She's still got that heaviness in her chest, but Kara's here, on her balcony. "'Paint what you love' and then just leave?"

She's won once this week and fuck, if the guilt laying heavy on Kara's face isn't an indicator nothing is. Fuck the little voice that her therapist keeps telling her to ignore. Fuck her therapist too. Fuck Supergirl and Kara and everyone else on the planet.

She'll be damned if she doesn't get what she wants. And she wants Kara. 

Kara swallows and looks away and it's the dichotomy between the way she acts in a cardigan and the way she acts with her shirt nearly ripped off that's going to give Cat a god damn migraine. Cat loves her and she's pretty fucking sure Kara loves her back.

"I thought I had overdone it, I thought I may have hurt you." 

That's all this is about? Fucking fuck, she'd tossed Cat from this very balcony just last year, a little rough fingering isn't going to kill her. "Oh please, Kara, you're going to have to try much harder than that to hurt me." Cat sneers and she can still feel the vibrations between her legs but Kara doesn't need to know that right now. "As if that's the roughest sex I've ever had. That's the least good reason I've ever heard to leave for three whole fucking days. And to leave your job!"

Kara flushes pink and that's such a good look on her, god damn it. Then Kara gets that steel in her eyes and reaches out and steps forward and Cat certainly isn't pulling away. But she's still pissed so she doesn't move.

Kara laces their fingers together and finally matches Cat's gaze with her own. "I'm sorry I got scared. But, I don't want to hurt you, ever." Her voice is soft and tender and Cat's damned heart leaps right onto her sleeve.

"Then _don't_ _leave_ again." 

Kara nods and nods and they'll need to have some seriously long talks about Kara's stress response but, fuck that for now. She presses forward and Kara's arms wrap around her. She's warm and the thudding of her heart massages Cat's soul. 

* * *

"Look, I'm going to use grey and you can use brown and we'll figure out what looks better then, okay?" Cat holds up both tubes of paint and Kara pouts a little less. 

"Could we at least use the green too?" She swings the chains back and forth and geez, another negative of loving a superhero: she's so damn whiny. 

"We used the green last time." Cat points down at her crotch where the strap-on sticks out from its harness. "We used so much, my hair's still green." 

That got Kara to grin and she wiggles her eyebrows. "It's body paint, it'll wash out eventually." 

Oh yes, fabulous. "Right, so we're going with grey this time and brown later." She steps up and Kara tugs at the chains attached to the head of the bed. 

"You know I think we should probably try the edible paints sometime, these ones taste weird." Her arousal's already trailing down her thigh and she looks so good all strung up over Cat's bed.

Mhh, a good weekend. 

"Sure sure, you could just not eat these ones though." She pulls up the palette and dabs at the grey. Where to begin?

Kara hums and gasps at the first touch of the brush. "But then I wouldn't get to lick the colors off your breasts." She gasps again when Cat shifts up onto the bed and presses the strap-on against her.

"Ah, yes, that would be a shame." She swirls out a "C" onto Kara's stomach and slowly presses her hips forward. 

"Rao, yes." Kara drops her head onto the mattress and jerks her hips up. 

She spread easily for the dildo and Cat has no problem pressing in until their hips meet. Kara groans and shudders and mhh, yes, that's always so good. 

She brushes out the "A" and pulls out. Oh, she's already distracted, shoot. She thrusts back in and Kara whines. 

Damn, she's never going to get this right. She jaunts out a "T" and brings the brush down between their legs. Kara just feels so good to fuck geez. She's never going to get anything done.

Kara jerks off the bed as the thick brush rubs over her clit. She curses something in Kryptonian and Cat digs her heel in to thrust harder. 

If she's going to get scorch marks on her ceiling again, she's going to have to put in some effort. But hey, Cat's never shied away from a challenge before and, she brushes over Kara's stomach and throat, paint what you love, right?

**Author's Note:**

> Finally, some good fucking WiFi. I hope you all enjoy!


End file.
